PROFILES – MRU Journalism Class of 2025 by Calgary Journal

PROFILES MRU Journalism Class of 2025

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

ACE JAKEMAN “The ratrod’s fun because it literally has a bullet hole in it. It’s like a rolling tetanus shot.”

by AMIE OSNESS

asone121@mtroyal.ca Ace Jakeman grew up with a passion for cars but knew he didn’t want to be a mechanic or car salesman, so he’s taking journalism to combine his love of cars with writing. Born and raised in Calgary, a lot of Jakeman’s childhood — when spending time with his dad in Springbank — revolved around cars. His dad always had fast and unique vehicles in the garage. The pair spent plenty of time together, working on cars and custom rods, touring, and going to car shows, such as the Calgary Auto Show, World of Wheels, and Cars and Coffee. Currently Jakeman’s father has a ratrod — a type of hotrod that has a purposely unfinished body to add character —a Mercedes S Class and Maserati Gran Turismo Sport. Their latest ratrod won a second-place prize at the World of Wheels. “The ratrod’s fun because it literally has a bullet hole in it. It’s like a rolling tetanus shot,” says Jakeman. Jakeman’s mom has also nurtured his interest, taking him on trips to the U.S. and Europe with races and car factories on their agenda. When she won a trip to Western Florida to see a Lamborghini race and took 14-year-old Jakeman, his 2 Fall 2021 • pROFILES

fascination became an obsession. “I got to be really up close and personal… that was my tipping point.” For his 16th birthday, Jakeman went to Italy with his mother, where they toured car factories, including the Lamborghini factory. While Jakeman changed oil, filters, spark plugs and more with both his dad and mom, he knew getting his hands dirty every day as a mechanic wasn’t the career for him. He also crossed off engineer, salesman and F1 driver from his list. “Of course, I’d love to be an F1 driver, but I didn’t start young enough.” Growing up, Jakeman watched a lot of Top Gear — a reality car show where three British hosts explore everything to do with cars, sticking mainly to sport and luxury brands. They give thoughtful opinions and do entertaining challenges, like racing a sports car against public modes of transportation. Ultimately, Jakeman dreams of working on Top Gear, calling that his greatest inspiration for a career path. “Obviously that’s at the top. You don’t just start there.”

So, in Grade 9, when Jakeman realized he enjoyed writing and lending his opinion about cars, the race was on. Stepping out of high school, he knew exactly what type of education he wanted. Jakeman turned to Mount Royal University, applying for the School of Communication Studies. While Jakeman touts the campus convenience and available support as bonus factors, the journalism and digital media program itself won hands down. He wants to specialize his degree to hone his writing skills. “I’m most excited to learn how to properly write. It sounds like everything we learned in high school was just temporary.” Once he’s got his degree in hand, Jakeman wants to take his journalism on the road. “I just want to be an automotive journalist.” Jakeman would love to write car reviews, hopes to have his own Mercedes one day, and maybe another fun car in the future. “Lamborghini, please.”

AJ Bond “I kept coming back to the same thing. I just wanted to travel.”

by NADIA SCHOUTEN

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

nscho118@mtroyal.ca

J Bond is working towards a journalism degree, but her goal is to become a flight attendant before pursuing a career in journalism, even though she fears the travel industry has become more competitive. Growing up, Bond was given the opportunity through her extracurricular activities to travel — and, with every trip, her desire to travel and see different cultures increased. After Bond graduated from high school, she took a couple of years off to work and figure out which career path she wanted to take. For months Bond was indecisive about what career she wanted to pursue, but she knew she wanted to do something she enjoyed. “I kept coming back to the same thing: I just wanted to travel,” said Bond. Bond looked into a variety of jobs that could incorporate her love for travel, discovering more than she expected. But, after some digging, Bond decided she wants to be a flight attendant. Although Bond doesn’t need a degree for this career, she is pursuing one so she can have more opportunities. She also needs a second language to work in travel, so she’s studying French as well. Even though she’s decided to become a flight attendant, she still has her doubts. She worries about what it will be like working constantly with people.

“Often in the industry of customer service, people can be unpredictable and are not always understanding,” Bond says. Bond also worries the field has become more competitive in recent years. Due to COVID-19, less travel is happening and the demand for flight attendants has gone down. She fears this will interfere with her chances of finding a job in the field. However, Bond believes with hard work she will be successful in her career and that having travel industry experience will benefit her future as a journalist. “I think because I will have experience within travel, I will be bilingual and have been a flight attendant, it will allow me to have more opportunities,” says Bond. After her time as a flight attendant, Bond plans to pursue a career in travel journalism. She hopes to work writing resort reviews or become a freelance journalist. Bond doesn’t want to be tied down to one place for too long.“I’m such a spontaneous person, so a job that is the same everyday would bore the life out of me. Writing on the different cultures I see and destinations I visit, appeals to me way more,” says Bond.

Alejandro Velasco “I noticed that because of my interest in writing and esports I might be able to blend my interest and make a career out of it.” by LUCY BEAUREGARD

rowing up, Alejandro Velasco’s love for video games was just a hobby, but now he is pursuing a career in esports journalism. The first video game that inspired Velasco love for gaming was League of Legends — a team-based strategy game where players compete to destroy the opposing team’s base. He started playing the game 12 years ago and has been hooked ever since. Velasco says many components of the game kept bringing him back to it, but that the competitive aspect of League of Legends is what he really loves. “It’s a cooperative and strategy game where you have to work with friends to create strategy to figure out how to win,” he says. Being a part of this community for over a decade, Velasco has had the opportunity to create connections across the globe.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

lbeau294@mtroyal.ca

“I have a lot of online friends that I don’t think I would have met any other way,” he says. Despite his dedication and love for the game, the day came when Velasco understood he would never be able to become a professional gamer. “I realized that I wasn’t that good at the game so I couldn’t play at a professional level.” This realization allowed for Velasco to explore new outlets to channel his creativity. Photography and writing are now hobbies he also feels passionate about. After coming to terms with the fact that he would not grow up to be a professional video game player, Velasco decided to look into what other career opportunities might be available for him in the esports scene. Velasco researched the individuals in

control of broadcasting, podcasting, blogging and reporting on esports. While learning about the behind-the-scenes people in the esports scene, Velasco discovered he could combine his love of writing with a hobby that he found comfort and happiness in for more than a decade. “I noticed that because of my interest in writing and esports I might be able to blend my interest and make a career out of it.” When deciding what program to go into and what school to pick, Velasco’s passions led him to apply to the journalism program at Mount Royal University. “It was my love of writing…. It’s something that I really enjoy.” Initially, Velasco was drawn towards the journalism program as a stepping stone towards his goal of being an esports journalist, but now he’s driven by studying the application of journalism.

“The how and why of journalism is what I am really interested in. How I will apply my knowledge towards my future jobs.” In his goal of becoming an esports journalist, Velasco feels passionate about using his knowledge of the game and journalistic skills to connect the public to everything going on within the esports field. “I want to write about the leagues and what is going on in the games. I want to have control of what I write about esports.” Above all else, Velasco aspires to always be doing his job to the best of his ability. “I want to produce high-quality content.”

Alex Janz

by SABRINA ACOSTA

sacos728@mtroyal.ca

“I just have this affinity and connection to the ocean. Like, whenever I’m diving in it or just near it I just feel better about everything.”

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

fter high school, Alex Janz took a gap year to scuba dive throughout Honduras and Guatemala. But her year away inspired her to return home to study journalism at Mount Royal University. It was in 2019 where Janz took a gap year to live in South America. She got a job in Honduras during her gap year while she was scuba diving there. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she ended up taking another year off. Janz is a very athletic person. Aside from track, cross country and swimming, she fell in love with scuba diving when she was around 14 years old. “I just have this affinity and connection to the ocean. Like, whenever I’m diving in it or just near it I just feel better about everything.” Travelling to Honduras gave her an opportunity to improve her scuba diving. Janz has dived in many places, mainly South America: Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Bonaire. “There’s this whole technical side of it or it’s like, do I have enough air to complete this dive? What if one of my pieces malfunctions, stuff like that, you know?” Janz explained.

But she says the biggest challenge for her was the language barrier. Since those countries are in South America, she had to pick up the native language there, Spanish. “I took Spanish in high school, wasn’t a great student,” she said, “I didn’t have very much Spanish, so definitely a big language barrier.” After applying to many programs at Mount Royal University, she decided to go with journalism. After getting waitlisted on ecotourism, she decided to apply for public relations and got accepted. “Then I was like, ‘Wait, I don’t really want to do public relations. That sounds really boring,” Janz explained. “Then it just kind of worked out, I could switch into journalism and I really like documentaries and adventure and photography.” She looks forward to learning about audio and photography and making podcasts. She would like to take travel and adventure or wildlife photography for Al Jazeera. “I’d love to get some shots for them. It’s a lot about humanitarian crises and stuff. But yeah, kind of just anywhere that’ll publish my stuff would be great.”

Alyssa Hassett “I really want to get brutally murdered in a show. I think it would be so much fun to have all that gore makeup on, you know? To go through that process.”

by JASMINE MAJOROS

jmajo911@mtroyal.ca

s an actress, Alyssa Hassett works in the fantasy world, but she’s studying the skills of nonfiction as a journalism major. Growing up, Hassett was the shy type — something that concerned her parents. At age 10, she decided it was time to do something about it and auditioned for her school play. In landing the part, she found a new passion for acting. Hassett continued to act through high school, sometimes struggling to balance her studies with her love of the stage. Even though she missed some days at school and had to catch up on her homework on set, she pursued her dream, even getting herself an agent. Over her career, she’s worked on productions, such as CBC’s popular show Heartland and the movie Rent-AGroom, a romance about a book editor and her grandmother’s dying wish to see her get married. While happy to bring characters to life, Hassett says it’s a flawed industry and she has felt a lot of pressure to keep a certain weight in order to fit into her costumes. 6

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

She’s also had moments of reflection when she’s cringed in reaction to seeing herself on screen. In light of this, she hopes to get the opportunity to try some other genres, such as horror. “I really want to get brutally murdered in a show,” she says. “I think it would be so much fun to have all that gore makeup on, you know? To go through that process.” Despite her growing success as an actress, Hassett feels she needs something to fall back on, in case her career doesn’t work out. “For every yes, you’ll have 50 noes. You get a lot of rejection in the business,” she says. While her dream is acting out made-up stories, her back-up plan involves those rooted in truth. As a firstyear student in Mount Royal University’s journalism program, she is learning the fundamentals of writing factbased pieces. While enjoying her time in the program, she doesn’t yet know where she will be after graduation.

AMIE OSNESS

by ACE JAKEMAN

ajake304@mtroyal.ca

“There’s so much more out there. Don’t feel like you’re going to be stuck in life and don’t be scared to try things and go to new places.”

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

mie Osness has always loved writing, but only now, while raising a family, is she pursuing that dream. Osness fell in love with writing as a kid and has always found enjoyment in writing in her free time. Wanting to learn more, she took a program through the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society, an organization that offers workshops and courses on writing to people of all ages and experience. That experience made her hungry to learn even more about the world of writing. “And through that, and as time passed on I just, as I worked other jobs, I just knew writing is something I am doing, what I am meant to do,” she says. Looking to build a career from that passion, she enrolled in the journalism program at Mount Royal University. “Journalism has an importance to it — [there are] important stories that need to be told,” she says. While she had no idea what to expect, she’s happy with the support she’s received at the university.She hopes to take her journalism

education and work for a major news organization, such as the CBC. “I just think it would be really great to be part of this long-standing source of news.” Osness is balancing her studies with raising her two teenage daughters — Mila, 15, and 13-year-old Safira — and finding time to do yoga and hike in the great outdoors. “I just need that connection with fresh air and sunshine,” she says. While she’s come to pursue a career of writing professionally by studying at university later in life than some, Osness says it’s important to chase your dreams. “There’s so much more out there. Don’t feel like you’re going to be stuck in life and don’t be scared to try things and go to new places.”

Bayleigh Arbic “I just want to be someone that has an impact in some way.”

by KURSTANN MAST

kmast4761@mtroyal.ca

re-pandemic, Bayleigh Arbic was living and studying in the Netherlands, but now she’s at Mount Royal University crocheting and dreaming of podcasting. In 2019, Arbic found herself on the journey of a lifetime as an exchange student in the Netherlands. She left her life in a small Albertan town behind for a year through a program offered by her local Rotary club. “I have to say, my mom was a big influence in it. My mom is always encouraging me to do things, like just get out of my comfort zone and go do different things.” On her adventure, Arbic had the opportunity to see many new places such as the Hague. She also had the opportunity to partake in a euro tour. 8 Fall 2021 • pROFILES

Beyond just introducing her to new experiences, Arbic’s time in the exchange program inspired her career plans. “I just really enjoyed the fact that when I was on exchange, I got to get different information for different people from different lands and stuff. So that’s why I think my exchange really influenced that, and I like the idea that journalism can take you anywhere.” That is how Arbic found herself as a first-year journalism student at Mount Royal University in the middle of a pandemic. While journalism is a spectrum of skills, Arbic has her eyes set on learning one in particular. “Definitely the podcasting, to be able to work in the podcasting studio and how to properly do that kind of stuff. I’m

really interested in that, I’ve always loved podcasting, and like talking to people.” Arbic hopes to one day combine this passion with her love of seeing the world. “If I could be a traveling podcaster, that’d be amazing. I know it might not be super realistic, but anything in podcasting or working in a media company would be very amusing.” Beyond school, like many people Arbic finds herself with a new pandemic hobby. After watching her mother crochet, Arbic decided to turn to YouTube and learn the skill herself. For a year and a half now, she has been crocheting blankets for her friends to combat the bleakness of Covid-19. Arbic’s blankets are patterned, multi

coloured and sometimes even tasseled. What she does not give away, she usually sells online. “I think it’s nice to be able to give blankets. I’ve given a couple of people blankets as gifts. It feels very good to give people blankets because it’s something that they can keep for a long time and get a lot of use out of.” With everything going on in the world, many are uncertain about their futures, including Arbic. However, she is certain about what she hopes to accomplish one day. “I think I just want to be someone that has an impact in some way. I don’t have to be this amazing influencer, but someone that can do something good for other people.”

BRYLAN SPAN “Sports and journalism kind of can go hand in hand.”

by HALLUMA SEKLANI

rylan Span has played hockey from the age of three, but instead of becoming a professional player, he decided to pursue a career off the ice, and write for sports media. Surrounded by sports, Span was raised in the small farming town of Taber, Alta. In his time off, he played golfed, went dirt biking and played badminton, but the sport he’s most fond of is hockey. Span started playing for Taber Oil Kings, a team at the base level of minor hockey, then moved up to the AA-level team, the Taber Golden Suns. After spending so much time together, with busing to games, as well as off-ice training, Span says that the team has “family dynamic.” When he graduated from high school, Span believed it was time for a change, so he looked to Calgary for new opportunities. Although he’d played hockey for years, he realized he didn’t want to be a professional 9 Fall 2021 • pROFILES

hsekl889@mtroyal.ca

athlete. He always loved giving an outside perspective on games and he realized that, with his heavy knowledge of sports, a career in sports journalism would be the perfect fit. Even his family believed sports media would be the best career for him. “Sports and journalism kind of can go hand in hand. And I always liked watching games and I’d, like, bring up a random stat or story or something. And everyone in my family, like my grandparents would be, like, ‘You need to do you need to do something with sports in the future!’” Span felt moving away from Taber was strange, but Calgary was the best city for him, especially because he wanted to pursue journalism. “I wanted to experience like a big city. So I figured Calgary is kind of the best of both worlds where I can go home if I need to, but I’m still always in the city.”

Now attending Mount Royal University, Span is very excited for the future. His goal is to move to the Los Angeles where he could write for sports media outlets or maybe even work for a team directly. “Hopefully working for some kind of Sports Network? Writing, if I’m just producing content in a different way doing that, but yeah, any sports media or sports network doing that — or even working for a team too.” “If I was in Canada, probably Sportsnet or TSN. But if I could work for ESPN like in the states that would probably be number one,” says Span.

CASSIE MEYER “It was kind of worth it being pushed harder than everyone else because I ended up finding a little bit of like a little window of success.”

by RILEY FONGER

rfong548@mtroyal.ca

assie Meyer grew up modeling but thought she’d have to put aside her love for fashion while studying journalism at Mount Royal University until she realized she could combine the two. Growing up, Meyer’s hobbies were modeling, fashion and writing — all of which she says were uncommon in her small city. “I was kind of a rare one in Swift Current. I would say there weren’t writers. There weren’t a lot of creative people.” Meyer’s love of fashion began when she started working in a clothing store called the Swift Shoe. Through her job, she developed an interest in a retro esthetic — a rarity in the city. She quickly gained popularity for her style choices and page on VSCO page, a social media platform that allows users to edit and capture photos. “I would go to parties and people would come up to me and be like, ‘I just love your VSCO’… and that was what I was known for,” she says. Unknowingly, the job Meyer started when she was 15 would not only grow her interest in retro fashion but also spark her modeling career. 10

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

“[The store] started getting more focused on social media, and I ended up modeling a lot for them,” she said. Later Meyer would do additional modelling work with her friend and hairdresser. This one connection would lead to Meyer branching out to local makeup artists and a clothing store called Fusion. “I took lots of pictures for them as well and promoted their business,” she said. Even though Meyer had found success through modelling and promoting local businesses, she aspired to become a writer — despite a problematic teacher in her Grade 11 creative writing class. Meyer said the class was a very tough time that saw her being pushed harder by her teacher than the rest of the class. “I hated the class, absolutely hated it.” Her teacher even told her not to count her chickens when it came to getting published. But she would prove him wrong, going on to have two stories published for a Saskatchewan-based publication known as Windscript magazine. As well, her poem “The Seat of My Favourite Coffee Shop” received an honourable mention for the Currie-Hyland Poetry Award.

“It was kind of worth it being pushed harder than everyone else because I ended up finding a little window of success.” Overcoming this hardship helped give Meyer the push she needed to move to Calgary in search of more opportunities with her writing. “I wanted to go somewhere bigger and experience something new. There’s not really a lot of writing opportunities in Saskatchewan, or Swift (Current),” says Meyer. Meyer also noted that the transition to Mount Royal University has not only opened up more opportunities, but has helped combine her hobbies into her true passion. “I always thought I wanted to work in the news. (But) I would love to do fashion journalism.” This realization has been an important one as it helped Meyer see she can combine her love of writing with her passion for retro fashion, giving her direction and a newfound aspiration. “It felt more meaningful, that I went through what I went through, because I was making something out of it.”

CHARLotte vos “It could be traumatizing, going out to crime scenes or seeing people blown to smithereens on the war field. But the adrenaline of experiencing those things draws me to it.”

rowing up in the Netherlands and then Canada, Charlotte Vos has expressed herself through the beauty of dance and music, but a desire to shine a light on dark stories of crime and war has her studying to become a journalist. Influenced by her guitar-playing dad and older brother, who played saxophone in a local marching band, Vos knew she wanted music to be part of her life from a young age. She just didn’t know what instrument she wanted to play. “I wanted to play guitar, but that wasn’t possible (in the marching band),” she said, adding she went to a rehearsal to figure out her options. “I looked over and saw a long silver thing and thought, ‘I want to play that!’” So, at age seven, Vos began playing the flute, meeting regularly for rehearsals with the marching band, attending competitions and taking part in ceremonies, including one on a particularly hot Remembrance Day. “My brother passed out, others were throwing up, and half of the marching band had to step aside,” she said. At the same time she was learning to play the flute in

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

Amersfoort, a city in the centre of the Netherlands, Vos also began studying dance. They are both hobbies she has continued to explore — while expanding her musical horizons — after moving to Cochrane, Alta. in 2016. There, she joined her high school concert band, where she played flute, the piccolo and the vibraphone — a “keyboard you hit with mallets,” Vos said. “It was a good way to let my anger out at the end of the day!” She also became part of the performing arts program, where she ultimately became the head choreographer for the school’s Shakespeare in the Park performance. Vos said she’s drawn to a lyrical ballet style of dancing, something that lets her best express her emotions. She won an award for a piece she choreographed and danced to showcase her struggles with depression and anxiety. “The way I danced was these moments of hope and then falling back down,” she said. While she continues to make time for music and dance, Vos has set her sights on a career with a more sombre focus: crime.

Her original plan was to take a criminology path, potentially going into the forensic sciences, but now she sees her future as a journalist who documents the darker side of life. “I’ve always been into true crime. I watch documentaries on a loop,” she said. “It’s so interesting to look into the mind of a criminal.” Through her studies at Mount Royal University, she’s also discovered a passion for photojournalism. Ultimately, she hopes to report on crime or war, either as a writer or photographer — or both — even though she knows these are tough things to cover. “It could be traumatizing, going out to crime scenes or seeing people blown to smithereens on the war field,” she said. “But the adrenaline of experiencing those things draws me to it.”

CHEYANNE CRANFORD “I’m a people person. And so what am I going to do, talk to machinery all day?”

by BRYLAN SPAN

bspan176@mtroyal.ca

heyanne Cranford originally wanted to be a heavy-duty mechanic, but after taking years off school she is taking her love of books and pursuing journalism. While going to high school in her hometown of Sherwood Park, Atla., Cranford was looking at a future in heavy-duty mechanics, going as far as to take four courses in the subject. “There was only actually three available at my high school, but they created a new one for me just because I had too much spare time,” she says. While she had a passion for mechanics, Cranford says that the clashing of her personality and the job itself led her away from pursuing it as a career. “I’m a people person. And so, what am I going to do, talk to machinery all day?” While taking time off school after graduation, Cranford worked numerous jobs, filling many different roles. Specifically, while working at a chiropractic clinic she had to work reception, be an exam tech, as well as deal with finances. “I just ended up really learning about people, and how 12

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

I can do under pressure,” she says. A job with Life Touch Photography was the first that gave her a hint her newfound career path could involve journalism. “It definitely started my comfort with cameras and taking photos of people,” she says. Other than keeping busy from working, Cranford spends lots of her time reading. “[I have] over 100 books and [have read] half of them at least three or four times over.” When it comes to Cranford’s favorite genre of books, young adult fantasy tops her list. “[Young adult fantasy has] characters I can relate to because they’re near my age. I don’t want to hear about 16-year-olds anymore.” Cranford puts young adult fantasy above her other favorite genres such as romance and adult fiction for one key reason. “[Romance and adult fiction] tend to try to keep it too close to reality. If I’m reading, I want to be put in a completely different place, not where I am right now.” Cranford’s love for books drove her to study journalism

at Mount Royal University, and, although her decision to apply for the program this semester was done on a gut feeling, right as summer was ending, through her future work she wants to shine a light on books herself. “I love reading … and editing and all those things, but I loved the idea of being able to tell stories about people instead, not necessarily like fictional. So, it kind of piqued my interest in, you know, the writing part of things that I love, and then actually getting to know people,” she said. She hopes to share her love of books through her journalism. “I mean, there’s a great book. And it’ll always be a great book. But if nobody knows about it, it’s not going anywhere. And so, there’s a big part of sharing the message or even just sharing that it’s there, and a big part of that is through … really connecting with people.” As a first-year student, Cranford is unsure of her exact career path in the journalism landscape, but she does know that her passion for reading will be prominent. “I would love if there was like a section about what people are reading. That would be a great thing, or even about authors. That would be really cool.”

DANIEL ANUBUNWA

by CHARLOTTE VOS

fter moving from Nigeria, Daniel Anuebunwa strove to become a basketball player, but a knee injury gave him reason to consider a career as a journalist. In Nigeria, Anuebunwa’s love for sports began with soccer, kickstarted by the country’s involvement if the sport. “It’s a sport everyone plays. [There are] just kids with soccer balls kicking around [and the] Premier League is the only thing they show on TV.” When he was six years old, Anuebunwa moved with his mother and sister to Calgary. It was a very big change, but school and friends kept him occupied. Just a year later, Anuebunwa’s friend suggested he join a soccer team with him and he became very involved with it. But soon a new sport would have Anuebunwa switching the pitch for the court as he fell in love with basketball after watching a game on television. Very tall for a young teenager — currently reaching about 6’2”— Anuebunwa says he did

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

avos916@mtroyal.ca very well in the sport. When Anuebunwa was in ninth grade, he began suffering from a severe knee injury that left him in pain whenever he moved. Suddenly, he couldn’t play any sports. “I went to multiple doctors and everyone tells me different things,” Anuebunwa says. “There’s like, a very loud cracking sound in my knees, so I’ve had some doctors tell me it’s nitrogen in the bones … and I had some doctors give me some other stuff.” With his knee injury preventing him from pursuing a career in sports, Anuebunwa had to start considering other career choices. As someone who loves basketball and soccer, Anuebunwa enrolled into the Journalism program at Mount Royal University to become a sports journalist. “I couldn’t really play basketball competitively anymore, so I wanted to still be in the scene,” Anuebunwa says.

One of the biggest things that lead Anuebunwa wanting to be involved with sports was the people. He wanted to know the sports players personally rather than just an individual that plays the games. Despite his ambitions of remaining involved in soccer and primarily basketball as a sports journalist, Anuebunwa has withdrawn from the journalism program and is not taking any classes while he considers his options.

DANIELLE LESYK “One of the depictions... there’s a man that that’s supposed to be Michelangelo and he put himself in hell. It’s sad. But I just find it really interesting.”

by GURREET KANDOLA

anielle Lesyk traveled to Europe where she discovered a true passion for art history, thinking she’d explore it more in university, but she’s swapped examining oil paints and the great masters for studying the craft of journalism. Lesyk’s love for art grew in 2019, when, as a Grade 11 student at Lacombe Composite High School, she traveled to Greece, Italy, and The Netherlands for a school trip. It was a dream trip for Lesyk who had been interested in visiting Europe since she was in junior high. “I first saw Greece and Italy and, just, I love the architecture and the art that came from there. And I knew like, growing up, I wanted to go there,” Lesyk says. The art she saw in the Vatican made her thinking her future lay in examining it more. “I knew it inspired me that I think one day I’d like to go on to study it a little bit,” Lesyk says. She found the themes and the motifs in the paintings interesting, along with the stories behind some of the most famous works, including Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. “I love learning about when he painted it. And how the Pope literally beat him to paint it,” Lesyk says.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

gkand672@mtroyal.ca Lesyk’s tour guide also explained a theory that many believe Michelangelo painted himself on the ceiling of the Vatican. “They think that there’s a figure and one of the depictions of heaven or hell to heaven, there’s a man that that’s supposed to be Michelangelo and he put himself in hell. It’s sad. I just find it really interesting,” Lesyk says. But, while she fell in love with the stories and artworks of Europe, ultimately Lesyk choose Journalism at Mount Royal University as her undergraduate program, building off her love of English and Social Studies. “I love reading. Some kids dread reading Hamlet and Shakespeare, but I was so excited for it. And I liked looking into globalization and everything like that during the high school years,” she says. Lesyk hopes to complete her degree and move back to Lacombe to work for a local newspaper once she graduates from Mount Royal University.

ETHAN SEABORN “I would love to be the live broadcaster who’s talking about the game in motion as it’s going. I would also love to be on the sidelines interviewing teams.”

by MEGAN BELFORD

mbelf697@mtroyal.ca

than Seaborn had a life strictly molded by the Mormon church but is facing a new reality after coming out as gay and stepping away from his previous life to live as himself. Seaborn says the church and his upbringing instilled in him the need to be kind, have good family values,and treat people with respect — qualities he is still proud of. However, after years of being a devoted member to the church, Seaborn began struggling with his identity and was debating his future life choices as he realized he is gay. It was during a mission with his church that Seaborn first began thinking about making major changes in his life. “I was serving a mission in Dallas, Texas, and I was kind of struggling with this whole identity thing because I was gay and I wasn’t really sure how to fit in,” Seaborn says. It was after this self-reflection and some guidance from those around him that he eventually realized he needed to make big changes to better his life. “It’s not going to go away or something that I can overcome—it’s a part of who I am,” Seaborn says. After being raised under such strict boundaries in the Mormon church, Seaborn had to shake preconceived ideas the church had given him in order to learn and accept more about himself.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

“I think I thought that there was a kind of mold, a certain kind of homosexual mold that I had to fit into, and it took me awhile to realize that not all gay people are the same,” Seaborn says. Seaborn initially tried to fit into this image that had been created in him mind, believing he had to act more feminine and have a party lifestyle. But eventually, began to discover what he really enjoyed and made him feel happy. “It took me awhile — until I was probably like 24 - 25 — where was like, ‘Oh, I can actually enjoy sports and I don’t need to be as feminine, and I can kind of fall into myself as I am,’” Seaborn says. He began to make big changes. “I quit smoking and I kinda just started to take more control of my life,” Seaborn says. And he began to find more happiness and fulfilment in his life. “I think it was little things that started to build my confidence that started to make me happy and that’s kind of what got me to where I am,” Seaborn says. As Seaborn continues learning more about himself, he is now studying journalism at Mount Royal University where hopes to blend the skills he gains through this program with his love for sports, particularly rugby.

“I would love to be, like, the live broadcaster who’s talking about the game in motion as it’s going. I would also love to be on the sidelines interviewing teams,” Seaborn says. “Discussing their team players, what their goals are kind of thing.” Seaborn speaks about some of the future ideas he has as he continues learning more and growing in his career field. “My hope is that I can either do podcasts on the games or if I could find a broadcast student to help me actually physically go to the games we can set up like a camera and broadcast the games live on YouTube on a channel,” Seaborn says.

GURREET KANDOLA “I realized journalism would be something that I’d be good at because it’s evolving every day.”

by DANIELLE LESYK

ith the support of his parents, Gurreet Kandola pursued an education to become a legal assistant, but, even though he struggled with English early in his life, he has decided to become a journalist. After high school, Kandola was having a hard time finding the right path for his career. He began a phase in his life that included partying a lot, coming home late and arguing with his parents. “I was kind of going through a rebellious phase,” said Kandola. It wasn’t until his grandmother died that he began to think about what she would want for him. This made him rethink his choices and the path he was going down. “She wouldn’t want me to be living like this — I kind of, like, got my head straight.” His parents were always his biggest supporters. They were happy to help him when he decided to go to a college to further his education. “They could have been like, ‘Yeah, we’re just giving up on you,’ but they’re like ‘No, we will help you — help you get it fig-

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

dlesy030@mtroyal.ca ured out and get out of this phase and on a better path in life.’” Up until pre-school, Kandola had only spoken Punjabi at home, making it hard for his teachers to understand him. English was a new language he had to learn, and the other kids were already fluent. “The teachers were kind of confused and like, ‘Oh, I thought you were born here. Why don’t you know English?’” He took after-school classes up until Grade 2 to work on becoming fluent. Kandola enjoyed translating and helping other Punjabi-speaking students with their English. “I felt that I can connect with people who spoke Punjabi better too.” He decided to go to CDI to become a legal assistant, but after being in the program, he realized that it wasn’t the path he was meant to go down. “After doing a lot of the coursework as a legal assistant, I felt like I could do more.” Kandola decided to take journalism because he enjoys reading the news and learning about world affairs.

Even though English is a second language to Kandola, he decided to pursue an education in Journalism — which has much writing. His path to journalism became clearer after he took Media History and Contemporary Issues at Mount Royal. He enjoyed learning about different media and the history behind them. “So I was like, ‘If I can do good in this class, I could do good in journalism.’ I realized journalism would be something that I’d be good at because it’s evolving every day.”

Halluma SEKLANI “There is an Iranian reporter… Christiane Amanpour. She has such a way with reporting that’s so intriguing to watch. She basically just had a big impact on me and how I viewed reporters in general and journalists.”

by CHEYANNE CRANFORD

ccran991@mtroyal.ca

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

alluma Seklani applied to a Law and Society program at the University of Calgary but decided to study journalism instead to continue her journey living around the world. Seklani was born in Calgary but lived in many places due to her dad’s career opportunities. She grew up in Saudi Arabia, Libya and the UK, including spending three years in the small Welsh town of Swansea for three years during high school. “I definitely plan on or want to move back there once I’ve finished my degree; I think the UK not Swansea, specifically…but the UK in general.” Seklani says. Seklani says that even though goodbyes are bittersweet, she is always excited for new experiences. She believes that moving around a lot has really helped her grow into who she is today. “I’ve learned that I can adapt easily to situations, and I think it’s because I’ve moved so much,” Seklani says. Although Seklani originally planned to study law, she realized that it would restrict her to live only near where she attended obtained her degree. Seklani felt that this wasn’t in line with

her values and dreams for her future. “Law school means I have to study, like, one country’s law, meaning I have to stay in one country, which is Canada. And that’s not really the plan I have for me,” Seklani says. Instead, she swapped courts for newsrooms and is currently in her first semester in the journalism program at Mount Royal University. She believes there is a great responsibility for future journalists and that aspect really intrigued her. “There is an Iranian reporter… Christiane Amanpour. She has such a way with reporting that’s, like, so intriguing to watch. She basically just had a big impact on me and how I viewed reporters in general and journalists,” Seklani says. Seklani is excited to start exploring the opportunities in journalism. She would like to start an internship soon so she can practice her writing. When Seklani looks into her future in 5 years, she sees herself in the big city of New York, working for a media outlet. “And just being really happy and satisfied,” Seklani says.

Jasmine Majoros “I kinda just always enjoyed writing. I remember being a little girl, walking around with a notepad and just writing everything down.”

by ALYSSA HASSETT

ahass156@mtroyal.ca

rowing up on the Siksika Nation reserve, Jasmine Majoros made her living selling baked goods to support her and her family, but is now working towards achieving her career goals by attending university full time. Majoros grew up on the outskirts of the Siksika Nation reserve but did all of her schooling in the neighboring towns of Vulcan and Arrowwood, Alta. “My parents just felt I’d benefit more from experiencing off-reserve life because from them, they are the kids of residential school survivors, so they really felt that oppression and that trauma more than our generation did,” Majoros said. When she was 24, Majoros decided she wanted to go back to school and further her education. Having never graduated high school, she enrolled in the adult learners program at Olds College where she studied hospitality and tourism management. “I really enjoyed it out there. I actually enjoyed the experience of being away from the res more than I really cared about school, but I still made it through, made quite a bit of friends, and we still keep in touch to this day.” After completing her time at college, Majoros worked in the hospitality industry but then decided it wasn’t a good fit for her. “After I graduated, I realised the people jobs weren’t for me,” Majoros said. She then started a career making and selling baked goods on the reserve, quickly turning that into a cake business.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

“Someone asked me if I do cakes and I said, ‘I can try.’ So I did, and from there I progressed and progressed.” While Majoros started her cake business in order to financially support her and her family, she found a passion for the craft. “I guess after a while it became a therapy thing. You’re sitting there and thinking about your life and you’re kind of in the zone. It helped me get through some tough times,” she said. But, after eight years in the industry, she decided it was time for a change. “I just wasn’t feeling it anymore,” Majoros said. She decided to go back to school, and moved to Calgary to attend Mount Royal University. While journalism was her second choice of programs, she is very happy to continue to pursue her love of writing. “I kinda just always enjoyed writing. I remember being a little girl, walking around with a notepad and just writing everything down.” Majoros is currently working hard to juggle her schooling and family life. As the parent of an 11-year-old and a one-year-old, she’s constantly busy. “It gets exhausting sometimes, but you know, if I can’t go to the gym, I might as well keep up with my one-year-old” Majoros said. Through her schooling, Majoros hopes to set a good example for her kids and if hopeful they will follow in her footsteps.

“Cause I’m constantly in school and [they] see me in school, I hope that’s something [they] come to see as normal. And I hope that [they] follow that path as well,” Majoros doesn’t know yet what the future holds, but she is excited to see where her journalism will take her. She is currently very focused on her family and schoolwork and is excited to learn everything about the program as it progresses. “I guess it’s just one of those things where I’ll see where it takes me.”

JAYDEN STEIDL “Hip hop was really what got me into music and that was kind of the segue. The next eye opener that was probably high school was The Beatles.”

by VALERIA BABIN

@vbabi153@mtroyal.ca

ayden Steidl never had any musical inclination, but through playing around with a Macbook during the pandemic, he discovered a passion and is now releasing his music publicly. After receiving his new Macbook, Steidl has discovered an app called Garageband that he decided to try out. In the first couple of hours, he had already made a song. “It was pretty cool at first, so I was like, ‘Alright I can kind of do this.’ Maybe I can even be good at this. I just kept going with it, kept doing it regularly and just for fun. Over time I figured out how to actually do it and a little bit of music theory.” After getting the hang of the app, Steidl gained quite a bit of knowledge. In the process of learning, mistakes tend to happen, yet Steidl used this to his advantage. “At least in terms of making a song or producing one, I’d say I know a decent amount now. From trial and error and just doing it more, I’m getting somewhere,” Completely obsessed with his new passion, Steidl could not help but share it with others. “I would share them with my friends too! I posted a few on SoundCloud,” stated Steidl.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

After releasing several songs on Soundcloud, Steidl received positive feedback from his friends. The constructive response had a great impact on him and was encouragement to keep creating songs. He released some alternative songs and a couple of electronic mixes. “I’m a big fan of alternative music. I came up on hip hop — that’s what I first started listening to around the time I was in junior high or late junior high,” he says. “Little bit of dubstep before that too, but hip hop was really what got me into music and that was kind of the segue. The next eye opener that was probably high school was The Beatles.” His love for The Beatles remains strong to this day. Music is something he wishes to pursue in the future. He has dreams that he can produce music later in life — with enough time and dedication, of course. “Absolutely, I think I could. It’s kind of a leap of faith, you know?”

JORDAN REBAGLIATI “I was always interested in keeping up with sports journalism, just like all the articles and on Twitter, all the hockey insiders posting, and I thought that would honestly be something cool to try and make a career out of.”

by QUINN CURTIS

qcurt483@mtroyal.ca

ordan Rebagliati has been playing hockey since he was 12 years old. But now, as a student in journalism at Mount Royal, he wants to translate his skills into becoming a sports journalist. Rebagliati has lived in Calgary or his whole life. He went to William Aberhart High School, where he made most of his friends. “Growing up was good in Calgary. I played a lot of sports. That’s basically all I did with my friends,” said Rebagliati. Growing up, Rebagliati’s dad was a huge fan of hockey, though he never played it himself. It is what made him want to play. “I fell in love with it ever since,” said Rebagliati. “I think that comes from my parents both being active and my dad being a huge sports fan just in general, not just hockey, but all sports.” Rebagliati has been playing since he was 12 years old, and has won many awards in both roller hockey and ice hockey. His hockey career has taken him around the world. “My biggest accomplishment, when I was 17 in the summer of 2018, I made Team Canada and went to the World Championships in Northern Italy [for roller hockey],” said Rebagliati. “[That’s] what I’m most proud of.” He now goes to Mount Royal University, where he is taking journalism because of his love of writing.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

“What really would have influenced my choice of journalism is that I took some writing courses in my first two years at Mount Royal when I wasn’t enrolled in the journalism program, and I surprised myself with how much I liked it”, said Rebagliati. Now, Rebagliati hopes to mix his love of sports and writing to become a sports journalist. “I was always interested in keeping up with sports journalism, just like all the articles and on Twitter, all the hockey insiders posting, and I thought that would honestly be something cool to try and make a career out of,” said Rebagliati. Rebagliati wants to continue playing hockey into his future, even as a sports journalist. “I think as of right now, ice hockey takes up a lot more time, and I honestly would be okay with letting that go,” said Rebagliati. “And if I have to make some sacrifices for my career, I would.”

KELSEA ARNETT “I’m excited to see the different things that I can do with my journalism degree and what I can do in the field. I think that’s what excites me the most; just being an adult and doing adult things.”

by ZOE MONTGOMERY

elsea Arnett discovered her passion for community work and storytelling at a young age, and it was all kickstarted by a student initiative project in ninth grade. While her group didn’t win the competition, it inspired Arnett’s current path to a career in journalism. Arnett first discovered her passion for writing in the fifth grade while attending a young-writers conference, and hopes to apply the same enthusiasm she felt then, into her writing now. “I ended up going and I really enjoyed it, and so that pushed me into writing. I was like, ‘Hey I like doing this, I think I can be good at doing this.’” In middle school, Arnett was a passionate soccer player, a not-so-passionate trumpet player, and a student with a growing appetite for academics. However, it wasn’t until grade nine where she was introduced to a new project that her interest in community work and education ultimately began to develop.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

zmont657@mtroyal.ca The assignment was to choose and research a Calgarian grassroots program through a company known as the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative. It is an organization that promotes student involvement in the community and rewards a grant to the charity or organization of the winning student’s choice. Arnett’s group – comprised of her and other members of her class – researched the organization Immigrant Services Calgary. The ICS’ vision is to provide a wide range of settlement services to immigrants and refugees looking to begin a new chapter of their lives in Canada. “It was cool to work with other people to see how these organizations were giving back to their communities and helping people.” Arnett now recognizes that this project was one of the larger motivating factors toward her current journalism studies.

“Hindsight is 20-20, but it introduced me to some of the aspects that are inherent in journalism, so I think that definitely sort of got my foot in the door.” She’s excited about many aspects of journalism like teamwork, community involvement, and most notably, new experiences. “[What I’m most excited about are] the opportunities. I’m excited to see the different things that I can do with my journalism degree and what I can do in the field. I think that’s what excites me the most; just being an adult and doing adult things.” Arnett believes that it’s her job as a journalist to make a difference in the world. “I think [I’d like to be] able to go into foreign countries [to help with] human rights issues. If I [had the opportunity] I’d definitely be going in and trying to bring to light those issues,” she said. “[In a world with] no limitations I see myself helping people.”

KIM DO “Sometimes you don’t like to see the tragedy that happens. But sometimes, what if it’s necessary?”

by SCOTT ROWAN

srowa535@mtroyal.ca

im Do faced adversity with her mental health and family, but has continued to pursue her dream of becoming a third-world journalist. Do began university in 2020 during the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and spent the first month online studying journalism at Mount Royal University. After a month, however, she withdrew due to mental health concerns. “There was a lot going on... family issues, plus my own issues that I wasn’t communicating with my family,” Do says. Do was an honour roll student at Future Foundations Catholic Academy Junior High and EP Scarlett High School, and she carried that momentum into university although it didn’t pan out. Her standards were set high, and with Do struggling in school it took a heavy toll on her mental health seeing her grades drop. “It’s an anxiety attack, but it’s not where you are, it’s not in the moment. It’s like a long, chronic state that really affected my learning and focus. And so I didn’t do as well as I thought.” 22 Fall 2021 • pROFILES

Do used the summer of 2021 to reflect on her mental health and realize what she needed to do in order to return to feeling like herself again. “I focused on myself more. Cut out any toxic relationships that were going on. Whether that’s the friends, family, like an actual relationship… I feel much better now.” Once the summer ended, Do was ready to return to MRU with a fresh mind. Do says that she wants to explore thirdworld issues and report on them in more depth than the media does today. Helping third-worlds financially is also a goal of hers. “Sometimes you don’t like to see the tragedy that happens. But sometimes, what if it’s necessary?” She also said her view on the biggest conflicts in developing nations and how we should take action. “So I’ll take Afghanistan as an example, If you have a plan and if you’re already involved, we should stay there and just

really plan it out no matter what… Now it’s controlled by terrorists. The so-called promise they made was to respect women. Yet they’re not,” Do says. Do has already begun her efforts towards helping these nations, kickstarting a charity for a small village in Vietnam. She raised nearly $4,000 — enough for about seven houses for families. “If I can help them, an underdeveloped village, make enough to support a place like the city of businesses. That’s quite amazing to me. And the fact that kids, families, can now live in a warm, safe house, too. That’s an accomplishment” Do says. Do’s vision of an improved third-world is simply for the prosperity to lie with the people, rather than the government. “It’s the people, their quality of life, their businesses, education, and health care. Whether it be private health care or public health care, as long as there is health care and it is accessible in a fair and reasonable way… I think that’s a well-developed country,” Do says.

KURSTAAN MAST “What first made me interested in journalism, was my grandmother was a sales associate at a newspaper, and I used to spend my afternoons sometimes at the newspaper office and I got to meet all these really cool people who got to write stories and take photos for a living.”

by BAYLEIGH ARBIC

barbi994@mtroyal.ca

urstaan Mast grew up in a small town in British Columbia, but moved to Calgary to pursue her interest in journalism. “I did enjoy Fort St John. It was my home town, it was a very beautiful area, there were many bodies of water, green areas. It was really nice that way, however it was a small town and once you’ve lived there a few years you have seen it all.” Mast enjoyed her time living in small town British Columbia, believing that she wouldn’t have been the same person she is if she had not grown up in Fort St John. Her friend group was four people including herself, who enjoyed things like Marvel and considered themselves nerds. As a group they would go to a restaurant called MJ’s in Fort St John and get crepes and go to the park and spend time together. Mast is passionate about writing and photography,

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

throughout her elementary as well as high school career she had been exposed to many aspects of journalism. “What first made me interested in journalism, was my grandmother was a sales associate at a newspaper, and I used to spend my afternoons sometimes at the newspaper office and I got to meet all these really cool people who got to write stories and take photos for a living.” Mast was given many opportunities to work with certain aspects of journalism such as photography and digital cameras, writing, and student yearbook. She also took a media design course where she picked up a liking for graphic design. “I started getting into photography near the end of elementary school in grade 6, because we had iPads that we were using and we did a lot of photography there, and I was like, ‘Oh I kinda like the idea of capturing subjects.’ Then, in middle school, I was on the yearbook committee and we got to play around with the actual digital cameras.”

But it was a at a high school event in grade 10 that put Mast on the path to studying journalism at Mount Royal. “We had a career fair at my school where we had a bunch of schools throughout BC and Alberta come and present their booths about their schools, and I went to a few of them, well I went to almost every booth there,” she said. “But Mount Royal, they were just super nice and a lot of the booths didn’t want to talk to tenth graders, but they were like, ‘Hey let us tell you about our school.’” Because of Mount Royals’ actions, it made Mast more curious about what they had to offer. Which ultimately, led her to decide to leave her small town, and come to the big city of Calgary to pursue her journalism degree.

KYLE WELESCHUK “I chose journalism because of a lot of my heroes.”

by MOFE ADENIRAN

nspired by the likes of Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski, first-year student Kyle Weleschuk is pursuing a journalism degree at Mount Royal University, even though he isn’t sure becoming a journalist is something he wants as a career. Weleschuk was first introduced to journalism when he watched Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a movie based on Thompson’s semi-autobiographical book about chasing the American dream in the Nevada city. He enjoyed the movie so much, Weleschuk then purchased the original novel by Thompson, and begin to read more of the gonzo journalist’s work, including Hell’s Angels and Fear and Loathing at Watergate. At the same time, Weleschuk was reading Ernest Hemingway, who worked as a reporter in Kansas City and later Toronto before starting his career as a novelist and works by Bukowski, a columnist for underground newspapers who ultimately became a poet and fiction writer. 24 Fall 2021 • pROFILES

maden066@mtroyal.ca Inspired by these journalists who became fiction writers and Thompson, whose ‘gonzo journalism’ style of writing encouraged a shift in traditional reporting and writing, Weleschuk decided to pursue journalism at MRU. “I chose journalism because of a lot of my heroes,” he said. Despite initially wanting to travel in the footsteps of his favorite literary writers, Weleschuk is unconvinced journalism is his field of choice. He appreciates journalism is how they got their start, and this inspires him, but he doesn’t see becoming a journalist as the finish line of his career plans. Instead, Weleschuk aims to use the skills he will learn at Mount Royal to go into fiction writing. To Weleschuk, his first year at Mount Royal is just the beginning. “I’m just hoping to take some of the skills that I can learn from this course and use them in other aspects of my life.”

LUCY BEAUREGARD “I feel like that is my goal for the future: to find a job where I’m just constantly learning new things and having to always stay on my toes.”

by ALEJANDRO VELASCO

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

avela358@mtroyal.ca

rowing up, Lucy Beauregard wanted to be an artist even as she played field hockey on the provincial team, but she has put those things on hold to pursue a career in journalism instead. Beauregard, a born-and-raised Calgarian, had a passion for painting and drawing from a very young age. This was mainly inspired by her grandmother who liked to paint as a hobby “She would always buy me little art kits for my birthday and stuff like that,” Beauregard said. When she was young Beauregard would mostly draw when she was bored, however, when she reached her teens, she began to try to draw more realistically. “I drew, like, Harry Potter, for my sister for her birthday one year because she loved Harry Potter. And she still has the drawing,” Beauregard said. However, all this was put to an end after a bad experience in high school, which led to Beauregard losing interest in art. “I just didn’t have a great teacher, like she just was not interested in teaching. So

we basically just had, like, an hour to talk to your friends every day instead of doing any art,” Beauregard said. Despite her time drawing and painting, Beauregard would sometimes put down the brush and canvas, and get on the hockey rink. Beauregard was born into a hockey family, and, inspired by her father, she started playing at the age of eight. “So my dad has played hockey his whole life. He started when he was four. And he’s still playing now and he’s 54,” Beauregard said. In junior high, Beauregard discovered field hockey, and decided to transfer her talents off the ice onto the field. Soon after starting, her coach told her to try out for the provincial team. She made it onto the team and played with them over the rest of the year, even winning a bronze for the province. “I met a really awesome group of girls who just worked really hard for what they wanted. And it was really special,’ said Beauregard.

Still, she put field hockey on hold when she started university, as she wanted to have more time to focus on her studies. Despite starting as an English major, Beauregard switched to journalism, because of the many good things friends of her parents told her. Her switch was also inspired by her interest in more “hands-on” work. “I think I probably like getting to know people, getting to meet new people, hearing new stories, just kind of learning new things all the time. And getting to share that with everybody,” Beauregard said. After taking a course in political science, she found an interest in writing about political issues, justice and human rights. In the future, Beauregard intends to look for opportunities that will allow her to learn more about the world around her, and to work in a field that allows her to constantly learn new things. “I feel like that is my goal for the future: to find a job where I’m just constantly learning new things and having to always stay on my toes,” said Beauregard.

MARIANA TELLO DE LAUNIERE “I wanted to be a homicide detective for years, but I didn’t want to be a cop… So journalism was the next best thing for me.”

rom dancing to paint-by-numbers, Mariana Tello De Launiere has a passion for the arts. But what drove her to study journalism at Mount Royal University is a bit… darker. As a young girl growing up in Calgary’s northeast, Tello De Launiere spent a lot of time in dance studios. “I did everything — I did ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, lyrical, musical theater, and acro…” But by the time she was 14, she decided dance wasn’t for her. “It wasn’t really something that I was passionate about, (though) it helped me grow up with confidence, in a way.” While attending high school at Bishop McNally, Tello De Launiere didn’t have many hobbies aside from her seasonal work at Bluegrass Nursery and hanging out with her friends — except for one thing. 26 Fall 2021 • pROFILES

“I’m really interested in true crime,” she says. “I love Criminal Minds, the TV show. I still watch it to this day. That’s what really piqued my interest. And then, about a year or two ago, I started listening to more true crime podcasts and started buying books.” In fact, it’s what led her to apply to MRU’s journalism program. “I wanted to be a homicide detective for years, but I didn’t want to be a cop… So journalism was the next best thing for me.” Now that she’s in her first year of studies, Tello De Launiere has gotten back into exploring her artistic side through an unexpected hobby — paint by numbers. “My friend, Emma, showed me hers and said it’s really fun, so we went to Michael’s this one day, just bought some paint by numbers and I never expected myself to really get into it,” she said. “But then, once I started, I couldn’t stop!”

Since the school year started, Tello De Launiere sets aside an hour a day to paint and listen to audiobooks. So far, she’s completed a version of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and a Grecian landscape. Currently, she’s working on a mountainscape. “I danced for 11 years of my life. So, when I got to high school, I didn’t want any hobbies,” she says. “But now that I’m growing up, I’m like, I want to find something. So yeah, I found paint by numbers!” After graduation, Tello De Launiere sees herself blending her love of true crime with her journalism training. “I see myself writing… It’s a little bit dark, but about murders and stuff. It’s very morbid, but that’s what I’m interested in!”

MEGAN BELFORD “I would rather like my job and there is no other job that I have come across or I could see myself doing long-term that I would be happy in.”

by ETHAN SEABORN

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

eseab296@mtroyal.ca

urning her passion of photography into a potential career, Megan Belford hopes to escape the 9-5 work life and capture nature in its most beautiful moments, but the use of social media to drive her content forward has proven to be difficult for her personally and professionally. As a child, Belford found herself around photography. Her mother was an aspiring photographer and Belford was pulled into that world. “I used to help my mom in the dark room when I was very young, but that really wasn’t an interest to me at the time.” At the age of 12, Belford’s parents took her and her brother on a trip to Africa to explore the wildlife. It was during her time there she began finding an interest in photography. “My mom bought us just some new camera that I kidnapped for the entire trip,” Belford said. “It was an old DSLR, and it was just really, just caught my interest.” As Belford grew up, her interest in photography quickly turned to passion and then a career aspiration. Using her love for travel and photography, Belford hopes to explore nature and share it with the world. She feels there are no other career options that could make her happy and she hopes to leave the 9-5 work life behind her. “I would rather like my job and there is no other job that I have come across or I could see myself doing long-term that I would be happy in,” Belford said. But, as Belford began pursuing a career in photography, she started to face challenges, especially around social media.

Due to the saturated market, Belford finds it difficult to keep up with competing photographers on social media. In her quest to gain followers and produce content quickly, her mental health began to take a toll. She said her need to stay relevant against her competitors makes her feel drained. “I don’t like it, it’s not fun and I stop. I end up just burning out,” Belford said. Belford sometimes feels that the use of social media, especially Instagram, is not always worth the time and energy she puts in. She has not seen many results and is not being compensated for her work. Belford has seen success in her commercial work by selling digital images to companies. “I’ve probably done close to 500 in the last year or so.” Moving forward in her career, Belford hopes to continue travelling and start reaching out to bigger clients. “Over the next year, definitely want to just get some more travel plans in line,” Belford said. “I want to start approaching different car companies or hotel brands, hotel chains, just kind of level that up.”

MIA Bare “A lot of people can’t speak up for themselves, and I want to speak up for them.”

by QIAOZHEN ZHANG

qzhan928@mtroyal.ca

ia Bare loves writing and reading and she moved to Calgary to learn journalism, but she wants to share stories through photos in her future career. After Bare graduated from high school in Red Deer, Alta., she had no idea what she going to do. Her favourite class in high school was English because she loves reading and writing. She loves reading because it can bring her to a completely different world, a completely different time frame. It feels kind of like a vacation to her. Writing is a part of her life. She writes every day in her journal, and she loves sticking to the facts of things. Taking her love of reading and writing, Bare decided to take journalism in university and moved to Calgary to attend Mount Royal University. She wanted to learn about journalism not just because she can learn 28 Fall 2021 • pROFILES

writing and reading, but also to be a voice for others. She feels most people cannot speak of themselves in the world. “A lot of people can’t speak up for themselves, and I want to speak up for them.” Learning journalism, working with facts and writing a story like a fictional piece was what she wanted to do. She said she feels the descriptive ability of writing can be good when writing out the story, and everyone can read the it and imagine it. While Bare loves words, through her classes, she found out that photos are more attractive to her. She loves photos because telling the stories through photos because it is easier to be transparent through a photo than words, and the photos will describe things more clearly and influence others.

Bare likes that taking photos one cannot just sit down in a room, but has to walk around and catch the best moment, and then choose the suitable photo for the articles. Bare thought photos can catch the moment that things happening and she can be able to capture what she is seeing in front of her and could show it to others. Now, Bare wants to learn more about photojournalism and is interested in pursuing a career in the field. “You can really capture what’s going on in a specific moment in a specific time frame and specific event, and you can really show them what’s actually going on.” Even she does not know a lot about photojournalism, it’s what interests her most. “But taking photos and showing other people, what’s going on and what I’m seeing that is something I feel like I can actually do.”

MOfe Adeniran

MMMM

“I was often more interested in getting to know characters from stories than getting to know my classmates.”

by KYLE WELESCHUK

kwele890@mtroyal.ca

ofe Adeniran has been a lifelong fan of fiction, and horror stories.B.) She says she wants to pursue a career in creative writing, C.) but has enrolled in Journalism at Mount Royal University. From the start, Adeniran was in love with words. By the time she was only two years old, Adeniran could read and write. She spent a lot of her free time during childhood alone, choosing to entertain herself by indulging in all types of fiction. Inspired by stories like Harry Potter and The Corpse Bride, Adeniran began making up tales and acting them out with her siblings and other relatives who made up a tightly knit community in Nigeria. Stories and literature became an even bigger part of her life when, at the age of six, she and her parents traded Nigeria for Houston, Texas. The culture shock of coming to America had a big impact on Adeniran. She spoke, looked and acted differently than the rest of the kids she went to school with. She found herself feeling like an outsider during most of her time in the Texas and continued to fill her imagination with stories and literature to pass the time. “I was often more interested in getting to know characters from stories than getting to know my classmates,” she said.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

After spending the remainder of her childhood in Texas, Adeniran moved with her parents to Calgary where she enrolled at Mount Royal University to study public relations. Adeniran says she decided to go into public relations after hearing about the plentiful job opportunities she’d have after graduation. While studying public relations, Adeniran wrote a story about the struggle of trying to fit in in North America. After receiving accolades from multiple instructors on the story, she decided to submit her work to the Calgary Journal, the MRU Journalism program’s student newspaper. Publication rekindled her passion for writing. Suddenly, Adeniran found her studies weren’t allowing her enough creative freedom nor teaching her the skills necessary to become a fiction writer. She decided to switch majors and got a fresh academic start in journalism where she hopes to begin honing her writing technique. Adenrian says that although journalism is a nonfiction style of writing, the skills required for fiction and nonfiction writing are the same. “Studying journalism will allow me to learn the fundamentals of story structure and writing techniques that I can apply to all types of stories, fiction or not.”

NADIA SCHOUTEN “Writing about what I see, what I hear, what I do. Writing is my passion.”

by AJ BOND

abond129@mtroyal.ca

adia Schouten lives with a chronic illness that has challenged her ability to succeed in school, and act on her passion for writing, however, she has been able to overcome these challenges, and is now a journalism student at Mount Royal University pursuing her dreams. Since Schouten was young, she loved writing stories and sharing them with others. By the time she was 14, she was writing fictional crime stories. “Writing about what I see, what I hear, what I do. Writing is my passion,” Schouten says. Throughout high school, Schouten had always enjoyed social studies. This was because, unlike most social studies teachers, hers allowed her to write freely. She could write creatively, and in a format of her choice. This further inspired her love of writing. Schouten excelled as a student throughout the 10th and 11th grade, but her success came to a halt when she started to become ill. She was 14, amidst her fiction-

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

al crime writing days, when she began to notice that something was wrong. She had started becoming extremely sensitive to food. Undiagnosed digestive issues continued to be a struggle for Schouten, but they became unbearable while she was in Grade 12. “Originally, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, then the diagnosis changed [to irritable bowel syndrome]. It’s kind of undecided, but it has to do with my digestive system,” Schouten says. Despite Schouten’s passion for school and writing, she began to struggle in her classes. Her illness forced her attention away from her education. “When I had to stay home from school because of my illness, I would miss things and get behind. I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped on projects or tests.” Schouten graduated from Heritage Christian Academy in 2018 in spite of her illness, but was unsure of her ability to go to post-secondary.

In the years following high school, Schouten had many good days where she was able to see her friends and go to work, but she also had many bad days, when her illness was worse. She was admitted to the hospital at one point, and had even lost 11 pounds. “I feel like a frail, fragile old woman sometimes, but other days I feel great.” Schouten had always wished to go to Mount Royal University, but the grades she got in high school were not high enough to guarantee her acceptance to the journalism program. She feared that even if she did get accepted, her illness would cause her to fall behind, or even drop out. “I’ve never believed in myself. I was afraid to go to university because of my illness,” Schouten says. Despite her hesitation, Schouten had been debating sending an application to Mount Royal. A friend of Schouten’s influenced her decision and convinced her to apply. “[She] said, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’”

Although she submitted an application, Schouten dismissed her dream of being a journalism student at MRU. She did not think it was possible for her to be accepted, and began to pursue other options. She applied for various programs at MacEwan, UBCO, SAIT, and Bow Valley. “I never got my hopes up. I even forgot about the application to MRU because I was so sure I wouldn’t get in.” Schouten was shocked when she found out she had been accepted into the journalism program at Mount Royal. “I cried when I saw the acceptance letter. I was so happy!” After struggling through high school, and battling illness, Schouten is now not only pursuing her dreams, but she has set new goals. She wants to create her own podcast, and be a freelance journalist.

OLIVIA WHISSELL “Oh honey, I drive Chevettes on ice. I’m always in danger.”

by SEAN GILLANDERS

sgill210@mtroyal.ca

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

n high school, Olivia Whissell was teased relentlessly for her hobby — driving race cars. However, she continues to race as a hobby while she studies journalism at MRU, and hopes to become a sports reporter. A large portion of the demographic that made up Strathcona-Tweedsmuir school’s student body were, as Whissell describes— rich kids. Several were equestrian enthusiasts, a hallmark of high-class living, which often came into conflict with her own hobby of driving race cars. “It was simply because it was a private school, and it was people with money and horses are expensive. And so they had to show off their fancy horses,” Whissell explains. A large part of what got Whissell into racing was her parents, Both were race car drivers, her father even competing in NASCAR for a time. Many of Whissell’s peers turned up their noses to her racing and, by extension, her interest in NASCAR. She would largely be met with ridicule — many of them mocking her for getting behind the wheel. “[Other students] didn’t really understand.

They thought it was dumb and they’d make fun of me quite a bit and consistently bring up the, ‘NASCAR is not a sport’ topic,” Whissell says Whissell generally ice races Chevrolet Chevettes during the winter. Though it’s somewhat perilous, she continues to take it up as a hobby. Through convincing her Social Studies teacher to watch a particularly intense Daytona 500 — the ‘Superbowl’ of NASCAR — Whissell was able to open the eyes of her peers to NASCAR’s high-octane action. “[The social studies teacher] plugs in his computer and goes, ‘Actually, we’re not going to talk about current events to start today,’ and he presses play on a YouTube videos and I hear [NASCAR announcer Jeff Gordon’s] voice… and I’m like, ‘Oh God, are we watching NASCAR in class?!’” Whissell recalls. “And I remember the split second where — you know, the cars blew up and crashed and everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, Olivia may be onto something.’ So yeah, that’s my best memory — when my entire class was forced to watch NASCAR.”

Whissell’s love for racing has also inspired her pursuit of a career in journalism. She works as a reporter at the Edmonton International Raceway, interviewing drivers after the race, which also served as inspiration to study journalism at MRU. Her aspiration is to become a sports reporter or a technical analyst for NASCAR. At the same time, she continues to drive race cars — ice racing Chevettes in the winter. Of course, one may wonder, does Whissell ever find herself in danger behind the wheel? “Oh honey, I drive Chevettes on ice. I’m always in danger,” Whissell says. Whissell has had several close shaves throughout her racing career— including a particularly bad crash in which her car’s roll cage crushed her foot. Even despite her injuries and ridicule from her peers, she continues to persevere, her passion for racing only fueling her dreams. “They can say what they want, but they’ve never driven a race car and felt the G-Force going through a corner.”

QIAOZHEN Zhang “It just feels like everything is difficult at that time. So, everything is hard, nothing is easy.’’

by MIA BARE

mbare087@mtroyal.ca

iaozhen Zhang loved living in a city in China, but suddenly moved to a small town in Saskatchewan. She is now living in Calgary, chasing her dreams. Zhang loved living in China for convenience’s sake but there were some obstacles. “Everything you had to take a car for, like shopping or something. There were too many people.” Zhang’s parents separated when she was little. In 2019, Zhang’s mother married a man from Saskatchewan and they moved to that province. “I felt excited to move to a new country, and then scared because everything is new and strange.” The move was unbelievable. Zhang and her mother had to change everything in their lives. And, in doing so, they faced many different challenges. “It just feels like everything is difficult at that time. So, everything is hard, nothing is easy.”

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

Their main obstacle was the transition to English, but Zhang and her mother overcame this by practicing speaking. Another unexpected challenge that came with moving to a small town was culture shock. “It is very different. Like we usually eat rice, and here it’s more like bread, spaghetti and pizza. Rice and soup noodles are totally changed.” Going from living in a metropolitan to living on a small farm was a big change. “You had to drive everywhere. Even to go to school you had to take the bus. I couldn’t get out — I could only stay at home unless mom or dad had time.” After two years of living in that small town, Zhang decided to chase her dreams and move to Calgary. She was happy about moving to a big city again because it meant she is able to go out and do what she wanted. She was no longer restricted to her small Saskatchewan farm. Knowing that moving to a new city she

has never been to before was going to be difficult, Zhang still hoped it would be fun. Zhang chose to move to Calgary because of the beautiful mountains in Banff and living in a city would suit her and her needs better, just like when she lived in China. However, Zhang did not move to Calgary just for the sake of wanting to live in a large city again — she came to study journalism at Mount Royal University. “University of Calgary has, like, 100 people for one class and you don’t even know your classmates. I love being here, like, the small classes and everyone knows each other.” Once Zhang gets her degree, she plans on upgrading to her masters, and hopes to get a job in either editing or teaching. Even though Zhang feels like she was ready to move six hours away from her parents, sometimes she feels lonely while going to school, going to work and doing chores at home. “But I can’t help feeling more free.”

Quinn Curtis “I thoroughly enjoy getting to experience the food from different countries, but sometimes I just want a normal slice of pizza, and you’d be surprised where they don’t have normal slices of pizza.” by JORDAN REBAGLIATI

jreba580@mtroyal.ca

uinn Curtis has lived in Calgary for her whole life, but she has travelled to multiple continents and has some good stories of her experiences abroad. Growing up, Curtis lived in the same house in Calgary and that is still her house today, she enjoyed growing up in the city and describes herself as “Calgary all over”. Curtis has been to some places that most people haven’t travelled to before, which leads to some pretty interesting stories. “My parents traveled a lot before I was born. They went around the world and they wanted to keep traveling after they had my sister and I. So, I’ve definitely been to some weird places because my parents didn’t want to go anywhere twice,” Curtis explains. Curtis says that some of her favorite spots to travel have been the places farthest and most unlike Calgary. Travelling to these unique places definitely did lead to some pretty cool and rare experiences.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

Even though she is a self-described picky eater, Curtis does like to try some of the local foods from where she travels. “I thoroughly enjoy getting to experience the food from different countries, but sometimes I just want a normal slice of pizza, and you’d be surprised where they don’t have normal slices of pizza.” Curtis mentioned that in the smaller towns of Japan and Vietnam were places that she couldn’t find a slice. “I just want a home cooked meal sometimes, and not crickets or squid on a stick, which are two things that I have actually eaten while traveling.” Another memorable trip for Curtis would be Morocco. “It was super hot there, but I had to cover up my whole body every time I went out because people would just stare at you relentlessly if you were wearing short sleeves, which is their culture.” While in Morocco it may have been culture

shock for Curtis, but sometimes the locals are surprised by their visitors. “In India, my parents went to a smaller village and all the kids from a school in the village crowded around them and took a picture with them because they thought that they were famous. They just assume, ‘Why would these two white people be here?’ ” Despite her world travelling, Curtis’ choice to live anywhere outside of Canada is surprisingly similar to her hometown. “I’ve thought about this a lot. I would move to Houston, Texas. I can’t really explain it.”

RILEY FONGER “You pass people on the street everyday who probably have a great story and they really don’t get to make the paper.”

by CASSIE MEYER

cmeye3871@mtroyal.ca

iley Fonger had planned to play competitive hockey, B) but after suffering a career-ending injury has C) decided to pursue his love of writing in the journalism field. Fonger began playing hockey when he was just eight years old, starting with a minor hockey league in Springbank before switching to the Edge School, a private school designed for student athletes where he played for three years. When he couldn’t make the highly competitive Junior A league in B.C., he joined the Fernie Ghostriders — an experience he says was one of the coolest in his life. “I love the team aspect of hockey. You know, you’ve got 21 other guys that are going to have your back, they’re going to hold you down, they’re looking out for you, they’ll stick up for you,” Fonger says. While Fonger was playing for the Ghostriders, he decided to pursue journalism through the Fernie Press, wanting to write articles about his experience being a goalie. Fonger put on a suit and walked

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

into the newspaper office to say he was on the team and ask the owner if they would be interested in weekly articles about the Ghostriders. “I knew I was going to be ending hockey and writing was the only other thing that interested me, so I decided to take a shot with the newspaper there and it worked out,” Fonger says. “It was my first paid writing job, I literally had no experience.” He went on to write a three-part series called “Between the Pipes” about what it was like being a goalie through his eyes. Just as he was honing his journalism career, his time on the ice came to an end when blew both of his knees out, forcing him to quit playing hockey. He decided to pursue his passion for writing, which had come about in his late high school years. Fonger says he was never much of a math guy, but English was more his forte. “If I’m doing anything in University, I want to write,” he says.

He studied for a year at the University of Victoria, before switching to the journalism program at MRU. Fonger is full of ambition, with big goals regarding his future in journalism. He’s already writing freelance articles for a company reviewing video game headphones. “I mean, it doesn’t sound like anything crazy, but I’m pretty pumped about it. I get free headphones” he says. “I’ve always had a goal for myself, by the time I finish university, I want to get enough freelance work to help pay my bills, so I’m not stressed by the time I graduate to find a job” Although Fonger’s ultimate goal is to work in sports journalism, he also wants to do human interest stories — those on the underdogs, the ones who don’t make the big publications. “You pass people on the street everyday who probably have a great story and they really don’t get to make the paper,” he says.

Sabrina Acosta “I’ve always liked storytelling and the idea of bringing up problems and getting people to be aware of them. I just want to make people aware of what’s going on in the world.”

by ALEX JANZ

ajanz602@mtroyal.ca

t’s this interest in worldly views and new cultures that sparked her interest instorytelling and journalism. Sabrina Acosta was born in Venezuela, and migrated to Canada when she was just seven years old. Keeping emotional ties to her country, however, has become difficult. Acosta says remaining connected to her family and culture is very challenging — especially considering Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis. “I still try to keep in touch with some family and friends. But every time I call them, the call just cuts out because I’m pretty sure you can’t be on a phone call for longer than a couple minutes and the government just, like, cuts it off.” According to Acosta, the political climate in Venezuela is currently anything but a welcoming place for a summer vacation — which is usually when she would return home and reconnect. Acosta remains hopeful for her family and friends still living there. However, she says staying positive is sometimes hard. “I think there was a Presidential order, like, ‘No one goes in or out’ kind of thing. I had a few family members

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

from Venezuela move to another country, which is super great. I still have some family members there and I’m super nervous for them.” The distance and polarity between her relatives’ and friends’ lives, compared to her own, is difficult. Because of this, the relationships that connect her to the Venezuelan culture are somewhat strained. “Whenever I talk to my friends there... it’s weird. We’re living totally different experiences.” But Acosta does her best to remain involved in and connected to her culture from Canada, by taking part in celebrating holidays with her family, upholding traditions and eating delicious food. “On Christmas Eve, the whole family comes over and it’s a huge party, not really a party, more like a family reunion. And we make very traditional dishes and foods, [it’s] definitely a lot of fun.” Being involved in traditions of her culture has inspired Acosta to branch out with her tastebuds by seeking out and trying other cultures’ foods. She even goes as far as making the dishes from scratch!

“I am definitely a foodie. I love trying different kinds of food, from different kinds of cultures and countries, it’s very interesting. I’ll try every week to try a new food from a different place.” On the menu this week for Acosta’s adventurous taste buds? “This week, I’m trying food from Peru, or Argentina. I’m very excited!” Her interest and involvement in other cultures and her own have also motivated Acosta to seek out a career in journalism. From reporting on sports to reporting on the runways, Acosta wants to do it all. “I’ve been pretty set on becoming a sports broadcaster, but I would also love to be a writer or editor for Vogue or one of those top magazines.” However, what Acosta emphasizes most is bringing light to issues and topics that are sometimes uncomfortable or outside of the normal news bubble. “I’ve always liked storytelling and the idea of bringing up problems and getting people to be aware of them. I just want to make people aware of what’s going on in the world.”

SCott rowan “Sometimes you have a goal. And it’s like it’s right there. But sometimes, you have to think about the realistic part of it, right? Of your ability, and I think that’s something that happens all the time.”

by KIM DO

kdo016@mtroyal.ca

cott Rowan wanted to become a professional hockey player, but his passion for writing spoke louder to him, and now he’s studying to become a sports writer. Although Rowan was raised in a sports-oriented family, and he was put on a soccer team at the age of five, he was more interested in the adventures that Marvel comics and Star Wars brought to him. His love for sci-fi books and comics led him to write his own fictional stories. It wasn’t until Grade 5 when he began to come around on the idea of sports, one in particular: hockey. On the ice, Rowan was initially against the idea of playing goalie, but he took his spot in the net and found it was where he belonged. “I just started growing into it and then started playing, and playing more and then I really wanted to go far with it because I loved it, it made me happy,” Rowan said.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

In Grade 10, he joined the National Sport Academy, a program that offers students a way to combine academics and sports training. The experience, he said, allowed him to make the best of his time in high school. He began to set his sights on becoming a professional player and looked to join a team like the Mount Royal Cougars and work his way into the National Hockey League. “I definitely wanted to go pro because it seemed very obtainable, you know, with the Calgary Flames. And they’re right there in our city.” But the competitive nature of the sport had Rowan deciding to take a different path. “It wasn’t necessarily a missed opportunity. But if I really wanted to play, I would have had to really bear down. “You know, sometimes you have a goal. And it’s like it’s right there. But sometimes, you have to think about the realistic part of

it, right? Of your ability, and I think that’s something that happens all the time.” With a career in professional hockey no longer in the cards, Rowan thought of other things he was passionate about, like writing stories as a kid. “Basically, I kind of began my writing career back then.” Although he wrote some of his own fantasy short-stories, he decided to become a sports journalist because of his athletic past. “After Grade 5, 6, it kind of turned into sports journalism, and I wanted to write a lot about sports,” he said. Now in his second year of journalism at Mount Royal University, Rowan still hopes to publish his own book one day. “I think I’d still like to be an author at some point of other fantasy books and sports.”

SEAN Gillanders “I have always respected what journalists do, particularly war correspondents. They are willing to take some pretty serious risks to get that story.”

by OLIVIA WHISSELL

owhis633@mtroyal.ca

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

rowing up in Strathmore, Alta., Sean Gillanders wanted to be a pilot. But, due to vision issues, he decided to pursue journalism at Mount Royal. Gillanders’ fascination for planes started at the age of two. His father sat him in front of the computer and showed him how to play the video game Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004. “Not understanding the point of the game, I saw a city directly to my 12 o’clock, pushed the throttle and, crashed into the tallest building I could find!” That moment sparked his lifelong fascination for all things aviation. “Navy pilots are cool,” he said. “And so is the F-14 Tomcat!” His plan was to become a pilot for the military, hopefully fly some cool planes — but pilots need 20/20 vision, something that Gillanders does not have.

This caused Gillanders to feel lost through his high school years. “I didn’t know what I wanted to be,” he said. “Just that I could not be a pilot.” Gillanders considered many post-secondary paths but found out he was good at writing and deeply enjoyed social studies and international relations. Gillanders also then learned of all the ways he could use a journalism degree in the military and aviation field to help others. “I have always respected what journalists do, particularly war correspondents,” he said. “They are willing to take some pretty serious risks to get that story.” In a world where there will always be news and conflicts, Gillanders realized there will always be a need for someone brave enough to cover the stories and travel to war torn areas. “As much as it sucks, there will always be fighting, and people will want to know why.”

Being that the Gillanders’ family lives in so close by, he wanted to stay in the area so that he could return home every two weeks to refresh his food supply. “It’s funny,” he said. “Not many places in Alberta have journalism programs, but I have heard great things about this one.” In the next few years, look for Gillanders to be bringing you all the updates from conflicts all around the world. And who knows, maybe one day his reporting will save lives.

Valeria Babin “If you want something bad, you have to put your mind to it and you have to really dedicate your time and everything to it, so that you can truly achieve it.”

by JAYDEN STEIDL

jstei458@mtroyal.ca

s a journalism student at MRU, Valeria Babin is a very big fan of reading, but she also has a major passion for fashion. Following the chaos of the 2020 pandemic, Babin decided to enlist in journalism at Mount Royal University. She figured it was the best possible move to advance her career going forward. She figured that, since she’s always been very good at subjects like social studies and language arts, journalism would be the ideal field for her to get into. She also decided it’s a versatile major because it can lead to so many different opportunities.. “I think it’s really nice how it can lead you to different things in the world. And you don’t have to stick with just one thing.” Part of the reason Babin enjoys her program so much is that she’s a very big fan of reading.

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

“My mom would always encourage me to read. She’s like ‘the more you read the better.’” Over the years her passion for reading has flourished and she remains open to all types of literature. “I like different genres as well so it’s good to be kind of like, all over the place.” Despite this, Babin is not a one trick pony. She also has strong aspirations in the field of fashion. “This is what makes me, like, me. I’ve always loved dressing up.” Her interest in fashion has also evolved with her throughout the years. She’s still very intrigued by runways and fashion shows such as the Met Gala. “I think fashion is such an endless world that you can like to do so much.” She believes her career in journalism can eventually help her bridge the gap between

her interest in fashion and her love of literature. She notes how the two worlds can come together through publishing. “That’s why I’m a journalist, because I feel like it’d be so cool [to work] with Vogue.” Babin can see herself doing fashion reporting one day. She notes how she feels more inclined to report the events rather than be a model herself. “If you want something bad, you have to put your mind to it and you have to really dedicate your time and everything to it, so that you can truly achieve it.”

ZOE MONTGOMERY “People don’t think that students have a platform, when in reality we have some of the biggest platforms as the new generation.” by KELSEA ARNETT

karne397@mtroyal.ca

hen entering the Young Canadians performing arts program, Zoe Montgomery struggled to find their place among the experienced performers. B) But, eventually they developed the self-confidence they needed to stand up for issues in their community C) and establish their arts career. Montgomery joined the Young Canadians School of Performing Arts when they were 11 years old, marking their first experience with a professional arts program. While most students had been involved with the organization for years, Montgomery entered with almost no dance or singing background, presenting a host of challenges from the outset. “For me the learning curve was just kind of figuring out that self-confidence is a virtue, and it’s something that everyone should have no matter what level you’re at.” As they progressed, however, performing became more than just a creative outlet. “I love, love, love the way that my parents lit up when they saw me on stage,” Montgomery explains. “I always thought that that was something so magical.” This love for performing not only taught Montgomery the importance of teamwork and community, but the value of standing up for issues that empowered them to take action. One of these issues emerged in 2019, when the Alberta government was making massive budget cuts to the education system. Many teachers were being laid off, and schools were losing the funding they required to support their students. English has always been important to Montgomery, so when faced with the prospect of having their English teacher fired, Montgomery decided they couldn’t remain idle. “It was so inconceivable that the government would cut education first,” Montgomery describes. “So, we were like, ‘Let’s just do something about it! Let’s make a petition and ... hold them accountable as students.’”

Fall 2021 • pROFILES

Montgomery and two classmates developed the digital petition, which aimed to bring attention to the cuts, and although the task was daunting, they were determined to succeed. “I was stepping into a pool of information that I didn’t really completely understand in the sense of I didn’t completely understand how politics worked. I didn’t completely understand how social media worked. All I knew was that I did my research on what I could.” The self-confidence Montgomery developed early on proved its merit throughout the campaign, specifically when combating negative comments online. “There was a fair amount of hate... But I think, honestly, some of my favourite parts were combatting that,” Montgomery says. “I’ve never been afraid to stand up for myself.” By the end of the campaign the petition had approximately 3,500 signatures, and eventually the government reconsidered the budget cuts. No one was fired. “People don’t think that students have a platform, when in reality we have some of the biggest platforms as the new generation.” The campaign introduced Montgomery to issues in their community, setting the stage for their move into studying journalism as a way to “be a voice for change, and knowledge in general.” But they don’t plan to give up performing entirely. In fact, Montgomery hopes to build off their most recent performances—in Storybook Theatre’s production of Annie: The Musical and BrownCow Collective’s production of Hair—as they begin their journalism career. “You know, like the Batman, or Superman, writer-by-day-superhero-by-night kind of thing? I’d just like to kind of combine both of them into my daily life.”